JCSO History

More About Your Sheriff's Office

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• Mission Statement
• Code of Ethics
• Value Statement

History

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was founded in 1781 as a county agency established by the Virginia legislature for the Commonwealth of Virginia. At that time, what is now known as Louisville, consisted only of a few houses. In 1792 the Commonwealth of Kentucky was granted statehood and Jefferson County, along with the City of Louisville, became a part of Kentucky.

Today, with a rich heritage of more than two hundred years of service, the men and women of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, an Accredited Law Enforcement Agency, proudly serve a metro area of approximately one million residents.

With an authorized strength of 240 paid deputies, 102 reserve deputies, and 60 civilian support personnel, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is the fourth largest law enforcement agency in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.